Vernon Carey

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT VERNON CAREY - PAGE 5

The Dolphins chose to beef up their offensive line rather than the secondary when they selected Mississippi's John Jerry with their third-round pick (No. 73) Friday night. At 6-foot-5, 332 pounds, Jerry must have impressed Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, a former offensive line coach, at the Senior Bowl last January or possibly at his Pro Day when he bench-pressed 225 pounds 31 times. Jerry, a superior run blocker, paved the way for three 1,000-yard rushers at Ole Miss, including Ben Jarvus Green Ellis and Dexter McCluster, so Dolphins backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should benefit from his presence.

Linebackers Jermell Weaver and Jerrell Weaver of Miami Northwestern orally committed to the University of Miami on Monday, helping the Hurricanes build what could be one of their best recruiting classes. "They have some quality recruits," said Allen Wallace, publisher of California-based Superprep magazine. "It's early, but right now, I'd have to say they're a top-20 class. There's a possibility they could have a top-10 signing-day class." Oral commitments are nonbinding. The first day recruits can sign a national letter of intent is Feb. 3. The Weavers, twins who helped Northwestern win the Class 6A state title, are 6-foot-3 200-pounders and rated among the state's best.

I suppose we'll never solve the compelling mystery of whether New England tried to snooker the Dolphins out of offensive lineman Vernon Carey or whether the Dolphins were the real smoothies here, giving away a fourth-round draft pick to swap spots with Minnesota and move up one position in the opening round to snap Carey up before the evil Patriots could get him. It's a classic case of he said/he said, with General Manager Rick Spielman on one side and...

Although two of his biggest offseason acquisitions won't be starting Sunday against Tennessee, Dolphins General Manager Rick Spielman defended his decision Tuesday to add quarterback A.J. Feeley and rookie right tackle Vernon Carey to the roster. What particularly irks Spielman is criticism of their failure to make an immediate impact. "If we were in the exact same situation and I had the opportunity to get Vernon Carey, I would do it in a heartbeat," Spielman said. "If we were in the same situation now as we were in February and had an opportunity to get A.J. Feeley for a second-round pick.

Jason Taylor in an Akron Zips jersey? David Boston with a Buckeye on his helmet? Vernon Carey once again dressed in the University of Miami's orange, white and green? Dolphins coach Nick Saban is all for going old school if that's what it takes for his team to eliminate a rash of mistakes and sloppy play entering today's home game against Carolina. "It's just little technical things, the details that we talk about to try to get the kind of consistency that we need," Saban said. "That's what the players need to be believing in. "It's amazing.

It's always good when the hometown product, the player who has bleed and sweat for Miami teams his entire life, doesn't have to uproot his family and play for another team. I know for a fact Vernon Carey was prepared to pack up his wife and kids and take them wherever the money was. An NFL player's second contract is the one that he'll likely be living off when his career's over, and the brutality of the game prevents him from getting a real job. It has to be a relief for Carey to get a multi-year deal done with the team he's cheered for since his days in diapers.

The Miami Dolphins offense now features plenty of beef on the front line courtesy of the recent addition of Jake Grove, who signed a five-year, $30 million deal on Tuesday. The hope is that Grove will provide some push up front for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams' physical inside running styles. The belief is that a better running game between the tackles will allow this offense to be less reliant on the Wildcat offense to carry the running game. In my opinion, as a lover of line play, and a fan of Grove since he was mauling the Hurricanes at Virginia Tech, this is a step in the right direction.

They re-signed Vernon Carey, Yeremiah Bell and Channing Crowder. My view: Bell was a must-retain, in my view. If he stays healthy, he is a major plus. Carey and Crowder have more to prove. Crowder had two impact plays last year (counting fumble forces, fumble recoveries, sacks and interceptions). That number should be in the 8 to 10 range. Carey was better at left tackle in 2007 than he was at right tackle in 2008. They picked up Gibril Wilson as a starting safety, replacing Renaldo Hill.

While the framework of Vernon Carey's new deal with the Dolphins was known, the details were a little sketchy on Friday. I'm being pulling in too many directions to get it, but according to WQAM's Orlando Alzugaray, who was the first to report that Carey's reps and the Dolphins were closing in on a deal Thursday, Carey will be making $23 million in the first three years of his new six-year contract that could be worth as much as $42 million. Carey will a $12 million signing bonus. He's due a $2 million roster bonus in March, and will receive a base salary of $800,000, has a workout bonus of $200,000 for 2009 season.

The Dolphins shouldn't have to worry about the offensive tackle spot for at least a couple of seasons. Right tackle Vernon Carey signed an extension that will allow the Miami native and former Hurricane standout to remain one of the bookends on the Dolphins' offensive line opposite Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long. A league source said the new contract is a six-year deal that could pay Carey as much as $42 million if all incentives are reached. The signing bonus was not disclosed but Carey's new contract guarantees him $15 million.